U.S. patent application number 13/327399 was filed with the patent office on 2012-12-20 for system and method for citation processing, presentation and transport.
Invention is credited to Sandro Cifelli, David M. Pedrick, Eftim L. Pop-Lazarov, Stephen J. Rieger.
Application Number | 20120324349 13/327399 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45219273 |
Filed Date | 2012-12-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120324349 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pop-Lazarov; Eftim L. ; et
al. |
December 20, 2012 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CITATION PROCESSING, PRESENTATION AND
TRANSPORT
Abstract
The present invention comprises a system and method for
automatically processing one or more citations contained within a
document while the document is presented by a document rendering
application. The method of the present invention comprises scanning
the document to identify an unformatted citation and parsing the
unformatted citation to determine one or more citation terms. One
or more citation libraries are queried to find citations comprising
the one or more citation terms. A citation falling within the scope
of the query is selected and inserted into the document.
Inventors: |
Pop-Lazarov; Eftim L.;
(Wilmington, DE) ; Rieger; Stephen J.; (Carlsbad,
CA) ; Pedrick; David M.; (Barrington, NJ) ;
Cifelli; Sandro; (Blackwood, NJ) |
Family ID: |
45219273 |
Appl. No.: |
13/327399 |
Filed: |
December 15, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10166058 |
Jun 10, 2002 |
8082241 |
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13327399 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/256 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/166 20200101;
G06F 40/258 20200101; G06F 40/205 20200101; G06F 16/382
20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/256 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/24 20060101
G06F017/24 |
Claims
1. A computer-based method for processing one or more citations
within a document, the method comprising: identifying in an
electronic document a citation comprising a set of citation terms;
matching the identified citation with a citation record from a
citation authority based at least in part on the set of citation
terms; determining that one or more of the set of citation terms of
the identified citation requires modification; matching the one or
more determined citation terms of the identified citation with
information from the matched citation record from the citation
authority; and replacing or modifying the one or more determined
citation terms of the identified citation with the matched
information from the matched citation record.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the citation authority comprises
a set of at least one authority database accessible over a
communications network.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein replacing the one or more
determined citation terms includes inserting metadata retrieved
from the citation authority.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the citation authority includes
one or more of: an electronic citation library; PubMed database;
CrossRef database; PsycINFO database; ERIC database; National
Medical Library database; Web of Science, Web of Knowledge,
National Library of Medicine; BIOSIS; Dialog; library OPACS;
Medline; ProQuest; Ovid; Ebsco; WilsonWeb; a journal-configured
external database; and a personally-curated external database.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating the
identified citation with information from the authority
database.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein matching the identified citation
with a citation record from a citation authority further comprises:
querying one or more citation libraries to find possible matching
citations, each possible matching citation comprising at least a
portion of the one or more citation terms; and presenting for
selecting a set of possible matching citations.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising inserting a link
associating the identified citation with a corresponding reference
contained in a database.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a hyperlink
between the identified citation and a corresponding citation in a
bibliography of citations.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the steps are
performed in connection with execution of a document rendering
application.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the document rendering
application is one of a word processing application, Microsoft
WORD, HTML text editor application, OpenOffice Writer, Apple Pages,
and Bare Bones BBEDIT.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the document rendering
application includes a citation editor add-in module adapted to
provide citation processing within operation of the document
rendering application.
12. The method of claim 9 further comprising presenting a prompt
alerting to a perceived erroneous citation and allowing for
responsive corrective action, the prompt being presented during
formulation of the electronic document by operation of the document
rendering application.
13. The method of claim 1 further comprising: automatically
formatting the identified citation in accordance with citation
formatting parameters associated with a default convention or a
selected target publication.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising presenting for
selection a plurality of target publications each having associated
therewith a set of citation formatting requirements.
15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: automatically
reformatting the identified citation in response to a selection of
a target publication having citation formatting parameters
different that the default convention or a previously selected
target publication.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps are performed on a
plurality of citations identified in the electronic document so as
to generate a plurality of validated citations, and further
comprising a document citation library associated with the document
and comprising the plurality of citations and including links to
references associated with the plurality of citations.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic document
comprises multiple sections, each section having a separate
bibliography of citations, and wherein the identified citation is
linked based on the section of text in which it appears and the
bibliography associated with that section.
18. The method of claim 1 further comprising embedding into the
electronic document a traveling library comprising citation data
and citation formatting data.
19. The method of claim 1, further comprising: automatically
grouping a set of identified citations into an organizational
group; and automatically updating the organizational group to
include additional identified citations as citations are inserted
in or deleted from the electronic document.
20. The method of claim 1, further comprising: executing on the
electronic document a reference validation process adapted to
recognize a document formatting structure and embedded metadata
contained within the document and further adapted to extract the
embedded metadata and compare the extracted metadata against the
citation authority to determine the validity of a set of citations
contained within the document.
21. A computer-based system for processing one or more citations
within a document, the system comprising: citation identifying code
set adapted to identify in an electronic document a citation
comprising a set of citation terms; matching citation code set
adapted to access a citation library having stored therein a set of
citation records and to compare the identified citation against the
citation library to match the identified citation with a citation
record from the citation library based at least in part on the set
of citation terms; insertion code set adapted to determine that one
or more of the set of citation terms of the identified citation
requires modification, further adapted to match the one or more
determined citation terms of the identified citation with
information from the matched citation record from the citation
authority, and further adapted to replace or modify the one or more
determined citation terms of the identified citation with the
matched information from the matched citation record.
22. The system of claim 21, wherein the citation library comprises
a set of at least one authority database accessible over a
communications network.
23. The system of claim 21, wherein the insertion code set is
further adapted to insert metadata retrieved from the citation
library.
24. The system of claim 21, wherein the citation library includes
one or more of: an electronic citation library; PubMed database;
CrossRef database; PsycINFO database; ERIC database; National
Medical Library database; Web of Science, Web of Knowledge,
National Library of Medicine; BIOSIS; Dialog; library OPACS;
Medline; ProQuest; Ovid; Ebsco; WilsonWeb; a journal-configured
external database; and a personally-curated external database.
25. The system of claim 21, further comprising validating code set
adapted to validate the identified citation against information
from the authority library.
26. The system of claim 21, wherein the matching code set further
comprises: querying code set adapted to query one or more citation
libraries to find possible matching citations, each possible
matching citation comprising at least a portion of the one or more
citation terms; and presenting code set adapted to present for
selecting a set of possible matching citations.
27. The system of claim 21 further comprising link inserting code
set adapted to insert a link associating the identified citation
with a corresponding reference contained in a database.
28. The system of claim 21 further comprising link inserting code
set adapted to insert a hyperlink between the identified citation
and a corresponding citation in a bibliography of citations.
29. The system of claim 21, wherein the citation identifying code
set, the matching citation code set, and the insertion code set
operate in connection with execution of a document rendering
application.
30. The system of claim 29, wherein the document rendering
application is one of a word processing application, Microsoft
WORD, HTML text editor application, OpenOffice Writer, Apple Pages,
and Bare Bones BBEDIT.
31. The system of claim 29, wherein the document rendering
application includes a citation editor add-in module adapted to
provide citation processing within operation of the document
rendering application.
32. The system of claim 29 further comprising alerting code set
adapted to present a prompt alerting to a perceived erroneous
citation and to allow for responsive corrective action, the prompt
being presented during formulation of the electronic document by
operation of the document rendering application.
33. The system of claim 21 further comprising citation formatting
code set adapted to format the identified citation in accordance
with citation formatting parameters associated with a default
convention or a selected target publication.
34. The system of claim 33, further comprising presenting code set
adapted to present for selection a plurality of target publications
each having associated therewith a set of citation formatting
parameters.
35. The system of claim 33, wherein the citation formatting code
set is further adapted to reformat the identified citation in
response to a selection of a target publication having citation
formatting parameters different that the default convention or a
previously selected target publication.
36. The system of claim 21 further comprising a document citation
library associated with the document and comprising a plurality of
identified citations and including links to references associated
with the plurality of identified citations.
37. The system of claim 21, wherein the electronic document
comprises multiple sections, each section having a separate
bibliography of citations, and wherein the identified citation is
linked based on the section of text in which it appears and the
bibliography associated with that section.
38. The system of claim 21 further comprising a traveling library
comprising citation data and citation formatting data, the
traveling library being embedded into the electronic document.
39. The system of claim 21, further comprising: automatically
grouping a set of identified citations into an organizational
group; and automatically updating the organizational group to
include additional identified citations as citations are inserted
in or deleted from the electronic document.
40. The system of claim 21, further comprising: executing on the
electronic document a reference validation process adapted to
recognize a document formatting structure and embedded metadata
contained within the document and further adapted to extract the
embedded metadata and compare the extracted metadata against the
citation authority to determine the validity of a set of citations
contained within the document.
41. A computer-based system for processing one or more citations
within a document, the system comprising: a processor and
associated memory; communication means adapted to establish a
communications link with a remote citation library database;
document rendering application adapted to be executed by the
processor to process an electronic document including a set of
citations; citation identifying code set adapted to be executed by
the processor to identify each citation; citation query code set
adapted to be executed by the processor to submit a citation query
to a remote citation library database via the communication means
and, in response to the query, to receive from the citation library
database a set of matching citation data representing matching
citations; and insertion code set adapted to be executed by the
processor to insert matching citation data received from the remote
citation library database into one or more of the identified
citations.
42. A computer-based system for processing one or more citations
within a document, the system comprising: a computer comprising a
processor and an associated memory and adapted to access citation
records stored in a citation library database; a citation editor
module adapted to be executed by the processor to identify and edit
citations included in an electronic document, each citation
including a set of citation terms and a set of citation delimiters,
the citation editor module including a citation identifying code
set adapted to identify each citation based at least in part on the
set of citation delimiters; a citation matching module adapted to
access the citation library and to compare the identified citations
against the citation library to match, respectively, identified
citations with citation records from the citation library based at
least in part on each identified citation's set of citation
terms.
43. The system of claim 42 further comprising an insertion code set
adapted to determine that one or more of the set of citation terms
of a first identified citation requires modification, further
adapted to match the one or more determined citation terms of the
first identified citation with information from the matched
citation record from the citation library, and further adapted to
modify or replace the one or more determined citation terms of the
first identified citation with the matched information from a
matched citation record.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims benefit of priority as a
continuation of U.S. Application No. 10/166,058, filed Jun. 10,
2002, entitled "System And Method For Citation Processing,
Presentation and Transport," and having been assigned U.S. Pat. No.
8,082,241 for issuance on Dec. 20, 2011, which patent is
incorporated herein by reference in the entirety.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of
the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The invention disclosed herein relates generally to document
processing systems. More particularly, the present invention
relates to systems and methods for dynamically processing citation
data for presentation within a document rendering application, such
as a word processor.
[0004] Document processing systems and methods are well known to
the art, most notably dynamic spell checking systems. One example
of a document processing system for dynamic spell checking is U.S.
Pat. No. 5,649,222 ("the '222 patent") to Mogilevsky. The
disclosure of the '222 patent discusses a method for checking
spelling in a word processor wherein spell checking is conducted in
conjunction with the editing process. The spell checker maintains a
table of spelling status data, which includes codes to identify
checked, unchecked or edited ranges of characters. During idle
periods, the spelling status data is analyzed to determine text
requiring spell checking and spelling errors are highlighted during
the editing process. The spelling status data is maintained with
the document so that spell checked portions of the document do not
need to be re-checked.
[0005] Similar systems and methods are also known to the art
wherein the grammar of an electronic document is verified in a
background process. For example, according to U.S. Pat. No.
6,012,075 ("the '075 patent") to Fein, at al., while a word
processor is in edit mode, i.e., the user is entering data or
commands, idle periods are identified by the word processing
software or a component thereof. During a given idle period, a
sentence is extracted from the document to determine whether the
sentence is properly constructed. If the sentence is not properly
constructed, an error is indicated to the user in the context of
the electronic document. This process is repeated for each sentence
in the electronic document until either the entire electronic
document is proofed or the idle period ends. A context menu may be
displayed to present corrections for the error.
[0006] Systems and methods such as those known to the art, however,
do not teach how to apply the state of the art to systems and
methods for automatically processing literary citations. The
process of properly citing references in a document, such as an
article for a scholarly journal, is necessarily complex due to the
sheer number of potential references for citation. Furthermore,
systems and methods directed to problem of automatically processing
citations must ensure the accuracy of processed citations, as well
as select a citation from one or more acceptable citations based on
a limited set of citation data. Thus, systems and methods are
required for automatically processing citations within documents
based on citation data provided by an author.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is directed to systems and methods for
automatically processing one or more citations contained within a
document while the document is presented by a document rendering
application. The method of the present invention comprises scanning
the document to identify an unformatted citation and parsing the
unformatted citation to determine one or more citation terms. One
or more citation libraries are queried to find citations comprising
the one or more citation terms. A citation falling within the scope
of the query is selected, properly formatted and inserted into the
document.
[0008] In order to automate the processing of citations contained
within a document, scanning is executed periodically. According to
one embodiment of the invention, scanning is executed when an idle
state is identified. The method may comprise embedding into the
document a traveling library comprising citation data that forms
the citation inserted into the document. Also, links to citation
data may be inserted that forms the citation falling within the
scope of the query.
[0009] The present invention also contemplates a system for
automatically processing one or more citations contained within a
document while the document is presented by a document rendering
application. The system of the present invention comprises citation
editor software to identify an unformatted citation within the
document. The citation editor software works in conjunction with a
citation application to receive the unformatted citation, retrieve
a citation that matches the unformatted citation from a citation
library, and pass the citation back to the citation editor software
for formatting and insertion into the document. The citation editor
software may identify the unformatted citation on a periodic basis,
such as when an idle state is identified.
[0010] The system may make use of a shared library to convert data
from a first format to a second format. Accordingly, the first
format may be a native format of the citation editor software and
the second format a native format of the citation application. A
traveling library may be employed that contains citation data that
forms the citation, which is embedded into the document. According
to embodiments of the invention, links are inserted into the
document linking to citation data that forms the citation, which
may comprise a drawing or chart.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0011] The invention is illustrated in the figures of the
accompanying drawings which are meant to be exemplary and not
limiting, in which like references are intended to refer to like or
corresponding parts, and in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram presenting a configuration of
hardware and software components according to one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram presenting a process for
automatically formatting citations within a document according to
one embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a screen diagram presenting an interface for
resolving ambiguous citations according to one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram presenting a method for exporting a
traveling library according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram presenting a method for generating
a bibliography according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram presenting a method for editing a
citation according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram presenting a method for inserting a
note according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram presenting a method for editing a
library reference according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram presenting a method for inserting a
chart or diagram from publication into a document according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] With reference to FIGS. 1 through 8, various embodiments of
the invention are presented. FIG. 1 is a block diagram presenting
one embodiment of a configuration of the hardware and software
components comprising the present invention. A general purpose
operating system 102 is provided as a framework for storing data
and executing applications, as well as policing the flow of input
and output. Exemplary general purpose operating systems are Mac OS
from Apple Computer, Inc., Windows from Microsoft Corp., and
various distributions of the Linux and UNIX operating systems.
[0022] A computer 100 that comprises one or more microprocessors
114 executes the operating system 102. When the computer initially
boots up, instructions are provided from Read-Only Memory (ROM) 118
in order to provide a basic set of input/output functionality to
the microprocessor 114. The set of instructions contained in ROM
118 is used by the microprocessor 114 to load the operating system
102, which is typically maintained on a persistent storage device
such as a hard drive (not pictured). The microprocessor 114 uses
Random Access Memory 116 in order to maintain transient storage
space that is used by the operating system 102 in addition to other
executing application programs, e.g., a document rendering
application 108.
[0023] An author using the computer 100 executes a document
rendering application 108. According to one embodiment of the
invention, the document rendering application 108 is a word
processor used to draft text and similar mixed media documents,
such as MICROSOFT WORD.TM.. Alternatively, the document rendering
application may comprise a HTML text editor, such as MICROSOFT
FRONTPAGE.TM. or BBEDIT.TM. by Bare Bones Software, Inc. Indeed,
all software systems designed to manipulate and render text data
files fall within the scope of the present invention.
[0024] Many document rendering applications 108 comprise the
capability to expand the functionality of the application through
the use of a plug-in or similar architecture. The system of present
invention comprises a citation editor add-in 106 that provides
citation processing within the context of the document rendering
application 108. In Microsoft Word, a programmer may develop an
add-in, also referred to as a global template, to provide generic
functionality in the Word environment. For example, an add-in may
contain common tools for working with documents 104. The author is
provided access to functionality of the citation editor add-in 106
by clicking graphical toolbar elements and menu commands that the
citation editor add-in offers. Alternatively, the citation editor
add-in may be a supplemental program that adds custom commands or
custom features to an application. It should be noted that the
citation editor add-in, as well as the other components of the
present invention, may be embodied as software stored on computer
readable media that, when loaded by a computer, instructs the
computer to execute the processes described in greater detail
herein.
[0025] According to one embodiment of the invention, the citation
editor add-in 106 is a COM (Component Object Model) object designed
to be loaded and run in one or more Microsoft Office applications.
COM add-ins are designed to connect to and disconnect from one or
more Office applications using an architecture that is shared
between the applications. The citation editor add-in 106 may be
implemented with any number of programming tools capable of
creating DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries).
[0026] The citation editor add-in 106 provides access to multiple
functions related to the creation of citations, as well as
bibliographies. Exemplary functionality includes the capability to
find, edit and insert citations, access to an external citation
application, format a bibliography, remove specialized field codes
from a document, and prepare a traveling library for export with
the document wherein other authors may have access to the citation
reference used to build a citation contained within a document 104.
The citation editor add-in 106 also provides instant formatting of
citations while an author is drafting a document. According to
embodiments of the invention the citation may comprise a graphic,
such as a drawing or chart that is being cited.
[0027] When the document rendering application 108 is executed, the
citation editor add-in 106 is loaded. The citation editor add-in
106 implements the menu and toolbar elements, which provide
communication to the citation application 112 and the document
rendering application 108 as required to implement or execute the
command selected by the document author. According to one
embodiment, this communication in implemented by way of COM
interfaces exposed by the document rendering application 106 and
the citation application 112 by way of a shared library 110.
Furthermore, the citation editor add-in 106 monitors the document
104 for conditions that require citation processing, e.g., the
presence of temporary citations.
[0028] The shared library 110 may be loaded by the citation
application 112 or by the citation editor add-in 106 when the
document rendering application 108 is initially instantiated. The
shared library 110 serves as an intermediary between the citation
editor add-in 106 and the citation application 112. Essentially,
the shared library 110 converts data from an initial format to a
format that is native to the citation application 112. For example,
where the citation editor add-in 106 is implemented as a COM
object, the shared library 110 translates COM data elements into
data elements that adhere to the communication protocol or format
that is native to the citation application 112, e.g., provides the
COM interface.
[0029] The shared library 110 offers an interface to the
functionality provided by the citation application 112, which is
where application logic executed by the citation editor add-in 106
resides. One major function of the citation application 112 is to
provide underlying citation data that is used by the citation
editor add-in 106 to present properly formatted citations within a
document 104. The citation editor add-in 106 periodically scans the
document 104, e.g., when an idle state is detected due to the fact
the author has stopped entering text or commands. According to one
embodiment of the invention, temporary citations are identified and
the citation terms contained within the temporary citation are
passed to the citation application 112 via the shared library 110.
Alternatively, the author may manually indicate temporary citations
for processing on a case-by-case basis.
[0030] Advantageously, an author may supply pieces of a citation
within a document 104 in an unformatted fashion whereby the
citation editor add-in 106, in conjunction with the citation
application 112, modifies the data to provide a complete formatted
citation. The citation editor add-in 106 periodically scans the
document 104 to identify temporary citations. According to one
embodiment, the citation editor add-in 106 scans the document 104
when an idle period is identified, e.g., when the author pauses in
the process of editing or entering commands. The citation editor
add-in 106, in conjunction with the citation application 112,
replaces the temporary citation with a properly formatted citation.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the citation may be used to
reference a chart or drawing cited through the use of a temporary
citation, which may be scanned and formatted by the present
invention.
[0031] The process of automatically formatting of citations is also
referred to as background or instant formatting. It allows an
author to always be working with current formatted citations within
a document 104. When an author adds a citation to a document 104,
the system and method of the present invention formats the citation
in the body of the document 104 and may also append the citation to
a bibliography at the end of the document 104. The process may also
be triggered when a new citation is entered, or when an existing
citation is modified to ensure the citation is correct. According
to one embodiment, an instant formatting flag is set within the
document metadata to instruct the citation editor add-in 106
whether instant formatting should be executed. When instant
formatting is disabled, the author may manually access the citation
functionality of the citation application 112 through graphical
controls presented by the content editor add-in 106, albeit
manually.
[0032] When scanning, the citation editor add-in 106 identifies
citation delimiters, which as a default are represented by curly
braces ("{ }"), although the author may define a custom set of
citation delimiters. Within the citation delimiters are a number of
citation terms separated by a term delimiter, such as a comma.
Accordingly a temporary citation may contain no commas, one comma,
two commas, or three or more commas. Semicolons or another suitable
delimiter may be used within a set of citation terms to serve as a
citation separator so that the search for each citation is executed
separately, e.g., {Smith, 1991, Dinosaur; Dolphin}. The citation
editor add-in 106 scans the document and identifies citations
entered into the document 104 by the author. The terms within the
term delimiters are parsed into one or more citation terms and
passed to the citation application 112 by way of the shared library
110, which converts data into the native format of the citation
application 112.
[0033] The citation application 112 analyzes the received terms to
identify the presence of term delimiters (commas) and citation
delimiters (semicolons). Where commas are utilized to delimit
terms, strict resolution is utilized. For example, the citation
{Smith Jones, 1998 March, Dinosaur extinction} is resolved as if
each of the terms is enclosed by quotation marks, as is well 5
known to those of skill in the art. Alternatively, where one or
more terms are supplied, e.g., {Smith Jones 1998 March Dinosaur
extinction}, the citation is resolved by supplying a Boolean "AND"
between each of the terms and identifying citations comprising all
of the terms. The citation application's analysis results in the
formulation of a citation query.
[0034] The citation application 112 uses the citation query to
query one or more citation libraries 122 and 124. The citation
libraries 122 and 124 may be accessed over a network 120, which may
be a local or wide area network, such as an intranet or the
Internet. As is explained in greater detail herein, a local
database (not pictured) may be maintained comprising selected
citations chosen by the author, obviating the need to access the
remote sources 122 and 124. Each citation library 122 and 124
comprises one or more citations for references appearing in one or
more journals.
[0035] Host data files may be provided indicating the address of
remote citation libraries such as university card catalogs, the
Library of Congress, specialized databases such as PubMed,
PsycINFO, and ERIC from popular providers such as Ovid
Technologies, SilverPlatter, and OCLC. Typically the citation
library comprises a database manager that accepts the citation
query, searches the citations contained within the library 122 and
124, and returns a result set comprising citations falling within
the scope of the citation query. The citation query may preferably
be submitted simultaneously to a plurality of citation libraries
122 and 124.
[0036] The result set is returned to the citation application 112.
Where the result set comprises only one citation, e.g., a
definitive match was found to the query, the citation that the
author wishes to insert into the document 104 is identified. The
citation data is passed to the citation editor add-in 106 via the
shared library 110 for insertion into the document 104. "Field
codes" that references citation data are inserted into the
document, which may be stored in local or remote citation libraries
maintained by the user or a third party data provider. The field
codes are links to underlying citation data that is used as a
source for the formatted citation displayed in the document.
[0037] In displaying the formatted citation, the format defined
through the field codes may be set by author-defined parameters.
Various scholarly journals have different constraints regarding the
formatting requirement for citations. For example, the Journal of
the American Medical Association may require that citations adhere
to a first format, while the journal Science may require a wholly
different citation format. The system of the present invention may
advantageously be supplied with citation format parameters for well
known journals and publications. In this manner, an author may
ensure that citations within a document adhere to a target
publication's citation specifications simply by selecting the
publication through an interface whereby the parameters are
automatically set. Alternatively, or in combination, the author may
override anyone or more citation format parameters to set a desired
value. Furthermore, functionality is provided whereby an author may
change the target publication for a document, causing the software
to traverse the document and modify the format of the citations
contained therein to adhere to the new target publication's
citation specifications.
[0038] Another feature offered by the system and method of the
present invention is a "traveling library". The author may export a
traveling library whereby the field codes are used to embed data
regarding the reference into the document. When the document is
accessed by a collaborator that does not have access to the same
citation libraries 122 and 124, the reference data can be found and
the full citation and reference are provided when the file is
loaded into a document rendering program, thereby obviating the
need to manually locate the citations again using the citation
application 112 to recreate the libraries used by their
collaborators. Furthermore, where a collaborator uses additional
libraries to insert citations within the document, these may be
exported and passed back to the original author, who has access to
the full set of citation data.
[0039] FIG. 2 presents a flow diagram illustrating a method of
operating the hardware and software components of FIG. 1 to
automatically format citations contained within a document. Using a
document rendering application such as a word processor, an author
enters an unformatted citation, which is enclosed or encapsulated
by a set of citation delimiters, for example, curly braces, step
202. Alternatively, the author may perform edits to a formatted
citation requiring the citation to be revalidated or reformatted. A
check is performed to determine if background citation scanning is
enabled, step 204. The check at step 204 is preferably performed
when the document is loaded by the document rendering application.
This data may be supplied through the use of a data flag that is
set in the document's metadata. Where background scanning is not
enabled, program flow is directed to step 220 where the document is
refreshed without modifying the text inserted by the user.
[0040] Where background citation scanning is enabled, step 204, the
document is scanned to identify unformatted citations or citations
that have been formatted but subsequently modified, step 206.
Identifying citations that have been modified after being formatted
may be accomplished in a number of ways. For example, a data file
may be maintained where the citation editor add-in compiles a
listing of all formatted citations in a given document. Each time
the document is scanned, the citation editor add-in compares the
formatted citations in the document with the previously formatted
citations contained in the data file to determine if any formatted
citations have been subsequently modified. Alternatively, the
citation editor add-in may set a flag each time a citation is
formatted, which is removed if a formatted citation is subsequently
modified. When scanning, the citation editor add-in checks the
formatting of all previously formatted citations where the flag has
been removed.
[0041] According to embodiments of the invention, the step of
scanning the document is performed when an idle state is identified
during the process of entering text or commands. The citation terms
supplied by the author is parsed, determining the citation terms
and any term delimiters that may be present in the citation, to
prepare a citation query that is executed at one or more citation
libraries, step 208. The result of the query are returned and
analyzed to determine the number of records contained within the
result set. A check is performed to determine if an exact match was
identified as falling within the scope of the citation query, step
210.
[0042] Where an exact match has been found identifying a citation
in one of the citation libraries, step 210, field codes identifying
the citation are inserted into the document, providing a view to
the citation data contained within the sole record in the result
set, step 216. Where the result set comprises multiple records,
however, a display is presented to the author presenting a listing
of the citations that fall within the scope of the citation query,
step 212. Using an input device, the author selects the citation
that he or she wishes to appear in the document, step 214. Field
codes identifying the citation are inserted into the document to
provide a view to the citation data contained within the selected
record from the result set, step 216.
[0043] A check is performed to determine if additional unformatted
or modified citations are present in the document, step 218. Where
additional citations that require formatting are present in the
document, processing returns to step 208 where a citation query
comprising citations terms from the outstanding citation is
formulated and executed against one or more citation libraries as
per steps 210, 212, 214 and 216. Where all the citations are
processed, the document is refreshed whereby the field codes
present formatted citation data to the author, step 220. According
to embodiments of the invention, the process is repeated, step 206,
208, 210, 212, 214, 216 and 218, at regular intervals, e.g., when
and idle period is encountered.
[0044] One embodiment of an interface for reviewing citations
retrieved from citations libraries as falling within the scope of
the citation query through operation of the process presented in
FIG. 2 is illustrated in FIG. 3. A search term field 302 is
presented wherein citation terms forming the citation query are
presented to the author. In this manner, the author is provided
with the context of the present query. According to embodiments of
the invention, the author may modify the citation terms here and
execute the modified citation query against the citation library.
Below the search terms is the result set 302, which comprises
citation records that fall within the scope of the citation query.
Using an input device, the author may select a citation from the
result set to review the citation data.
[0045] The citation data 306 is presented in a frame occupying the
lower half of the interface. The citation data comprises detailed
information regarding the reference that forms the basis for the
citation including, but not limited to, the reference type, author,
year of publication title of the reference and publication, as well
as other miscellaneous information. Advantageously, the citation
data may further comprise an abstract providing a brief summary or
overview of the substance of the reference. This information is
useful to an author in determining if a particular reference is the
source of the intended citation.
[0046] The ambiguous citation currently being analyzed by the
software of the present invention may be acted on by selection of
one of the provided interface controls. Using an input device, the
author may select on of the citations in the result set 304 for
insertion into the document. Selection of the insert control 308
inserts the selected citation into the document. Alternatively, the
author may choose to ignore 310 the current citation or ignore all
of the unformatted citations 312 contained within the document.
Likewise, the citation formatting process may be canceled 314. A
control is also provided that allows access to a help system 316
that provides answers to questions an author might have regarding
operation of the invention.
[0047] As described above, authors may compile selected citation
data into a local database imbedded within the document in order to
enable others to work with properly formatted citations in the
document. The process of exporting a traveling library is presented
in FIG. 4. Using an input device, the author selects a control
provided by the citation editor add-in that executes the export
process, step 402. In response to the author command, the software
presents an "export traveling library" dialog box, step 404. Using
the interface presented by the dialog box, the author may set
preferences regarding the manner in which export is performed.
[0048] A check is performed to determine whether the author is
creating a new citation library in the citation application or
adding to an existing library, step 406. Where the author is
attempting to export a new citation library in the citation
application, step 406, a check is performed to determine if the
field codes are still contained within the document, step 408. If
the author removes the field codes and replaces them with plain
text, the software is unable to invoke export functionality and an
error message is presented to the author indicating that the export
operation has failed, step 416. Where the software is able to
detect the field codes in the document that comprises the
citations, a citation library in the citation application
comprising the citation data for all the citations contained within
the document, step 412.
[0049] Where the author is attempting to export citation data to an
existing citation library in the citation application, step 406, a
check is performed to determine if the field codes are still
contained within the document, step 410. If the author removes the
field codes and replaces them with plain text, the software is
unable to invoke export functionality and an error message is
presented to the author indicating that the export operation has
failed, step 416. According to one embodiment of the invention,
selection of a graphical control provided by the software of the
present invention is operative to replace the field codes in the
document with the plain text to which the field codes link.
Alternatively, the field codes may be manually removed by the
author and replaced with the plain text to which the field codes
link.
[0050] Where the software is able to detect the field codes in the
document that comprises the citations, additional selected citation
data is added to the citation library in the citation application
that was previously embedded into the document, step 414.
Regardless of whether the author is creating a new citation library
in the citation application or adding to an existing one, program
flow is consolidated at step 418 where the software refreshes the
document to reflect any changes made by the operation.
[0051] The software and methods presented here may also be used to
automatically generate a formatted bibliography from citations that
are added to a document, as illustrated in FIG. 5. One embodiment
of the bibliography generation process begins when the author
selects a control presented by the citation editor add-in that
executes the bibliography functionality, step 502. The author is
provided an opportunity to define one or more preferences regarding
the output style that the bibliography will take, step 504. For
example, bibliography preferences include, but are not limited to,
font style, size, indentations, starting number for the
bibliography, etc. Alternatively, bibliography preferences are set
before hand by the author and the software simply reads the defined
preferences from a data file at step 504.
[0052] The software scans the document to determine if citations
exist that are awaiting formatting, step 506. Where unformatted
citations are present in a document, a citation list is presented
to the author, step 508. Using an input device, the author selects
the appropriate reference that is associated with the citation
supplied by the user. Program flow returns to step 506 where
another check is performed for unformatted citations. That process
is repeated for all unformatted citations. Alternatively, a process
analogous to steps 208, 210, 212, 214 and 216 presented in FIG. 2
are executed for each of the unformatted citations contained within
the document in place of the process of step 508. All of the
citations in the document are properly formatted and the software
inserts the citations into a bibliography, step 510. It should be
clear to one skilled in the art that this process may easily be
modified to provide for dynamic updating of the bibliography as new
citations are supplied or existing citations are editing, which is
considered within the scope of the present invention.
[0053] Additionally, an author may edit selected citations that
have previously been inserted into a document and formatted, as
presented by the method of FIG. 6. An author is provided with
graphical controls by the citation editor that supply assistance
with the citation editing process, which is selected by the author
to being the editing process, step 602. The citation editor add-in
transmits a citation edit request to the citation application,
which is translated into the native format of the citation
application by the shared library. In response to the request, the
citation application prepares a listing of all citations contained
within the document for presentation to the author by the citation
add-in, step 604.
[0054] Using an input device, the author may supply changes to one
or more of the citations in the document. According to one
embodiment of the invention, an interface similar to that presented
in FIG. 3 is supplied whereby the author is presented with all
references that matched the previously supplied citation terms and
given an opportunity to modify the citation terms associated with
one or more selected citations. Regardless of the method used to
receive citation edits, the edits are submitted by way of the
shared library to the citation application for recordation, step
606, which may also include modifying the citation list and field
codes in the document to reflect the edits supplied by the author,
step 608.
[0055] The present invention provides valuable functionality to
insert notes into documents; one embodiment of a method for
providing such functionality is presented in FIG. 7. When required
by a given journal, for example, Science, the author selects a
graphical control provided by the citation editor add-in to insert
a note, step 702. In response, a note insertion dialog box is
presented to the author, 704. The author submits the text of the
note into the note insertion dialog box and, when complete, selects
a graphical submission control, step 706. The document is refreshed
to display the note in the document, step 708. Advantageously,
controls are supplied or parameters may be set through which the
author may indicate the precise position within the document where
the note should appear.
[0056] As previously indicated, an author may elect to use a local
citation library in addition, or opposed to, one or more remote
libraries. One embodiment of a method for editing references
contained in a local citation library is presented in FIG. 8. It
should be noted, however, as it is assumed that the author has
editing privileges on the local citation library, that the method
of FIG. 8 is likewise applicable to remote citation libraries where
the author has editing privileges.
[0057] In order to edit a reference, the author must select a
document or subset thereof, step 802. The minimum acceptable subset
of the document is an individual citation. Using graphical controls
supplied by the citation editor add-in, the author selects a
control to edit the selected references, step 804. Citation data,
e.g., information comprising a reference, for each of the citations
present in the selected document or portion thereof is presented to
the user, step 806. According to one embodiment, the data is
presented in a list format.
[0058] Using the graphical interface, the author selects references
and makes the required edits, step 808. The author may sequentially
edit multiple references. The completed edits are saved to the
citation library, which may be local or remote, so long as the
author has editing privileges on the citation library. The document
is refreshed to present changes to the citations contained therein
based on the edits made to the underlying references, step 810.
[0059] Turning to FIG. 9, a process is presented that allows an
author to insert a graphic from a publication, such as a chart or
diagram, into a document. Using the graphical interface provided by
the citation editor add-in, the author selects a graphical control
to insert a figure or diagram from a publication into the document,
step 902. In response to the selection of the control, the citation
editor add-in presents an insert figure dialog box, step 904. Using
the graphical controls presented via the dialog box, the author
enters one or more parameters identifying the desired figure. For
example, the author may supply a publication, an author, an article
title, publication date, or other data that may uniquely identify
the desired figure.
[0060] Using the data regarding the desired figure that is supplied
by the author, a figure query is prepared that is used to search
one or more citation libraries for the desired figure, step 906. A
result set comprising figures contained within the citation
databases that fall within the scope of the figure query is
presented to the user, step 908. Using an input device, the author
selects that appropriate figure from the list of presented figures.
The selected figure is inserted into the document and presented to
the author, step 910. Alternatively, the figure parameters may be
supplied as a temporary citation and automatically formatted
according to the process presented in FIG. 2.
[0061] While the invention has been described and illustrated in
connection with preferred embodiments, many variations and
modifications as will be evident to those skilled in this art may
be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention, and the invention is thus not to be limited to the
precise details of methodology or construction set forth above as
such variations and modification are intended to be included within
the scope of the invention.
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